This is my second DEFA film, and I have to say that a pattern is developing: the endings have to serve the moral purpose of defending "the good Germans" and offering hope for the future of East Germany. Up until the end, the beautiful cinematography and setting provide a convincing dose of film noir neorealism, which ends up being disrupted by the conclusion. I find it not entirely believable that the good versus evil Germans can so be easily divided into clear groups, as these films suggest...